After a hot week, inclement weather conditions throughout much of Alberta prompted a number of severe thunderstorm watches and a warning.
A warning is issued when imminent or occurring thunderstorms are likely to produce or are producing any one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.
Friday afternoon, several communities had their severe thunderstorm watches upgraded to warnings, including:
- City of Edmonton – St. Albert – Sherwood Park
- Drumheller – Three Hills
- High Level – Rainbow Lake – Fort Vermilion – Mackenzie Hwy
- Peave River – Fairview – High Prairie – Manning
- Westlock – Barrhead – Athabasca
As of 5 p.m., severe thunderstorm watches were issued for the following regions:
- Airdrie – Cochrane – Olds – Sundre
- Bonnyville – St. Paul – Cold Lake – Lac La Biche
- Brooks – Strathmore – Vulcan
- City of Calgary
- City of Edmonton – St. Albert – Sherwood Park
- Drayton Valley – Devon – Rimbey – Pigeon Lake
- Drumheller – Three Hills
- Fort Saskatchewan – Vegreville – Redwater – Smoky Lake
- Hanna – Coronation – Oyen
- High Level – Rainbow Lake – Fort Vermilion – Mackenzie Hwy
- Leduc – Camrose – Wetaskiwin – Tofield
- Lloydminster – Wainwright – Vermilion – Provost
- Red Deer – Ponoka – Innisfail – Stettler
- Medicine Hat – Bow Island – Suffield
- Slave Lake
- Spruce Grove – Morinville – Mayerthorpe – Evansburg
- Wabasca – Peerless lake – Gift Lake – Cadotte Lake
- Westlock – Barrhead – Athabasca
The Environment Canada notice stated conditions in the highlighted areas are favourable for dangerous thunderstorms. There’s a chance the storms could produce strong wind gusts, large hail and torrential rain.
The slow moving storms were expected to continue over parts of northern, central and southern Alberta throughout the day Friday, and into the evening.
Officials said the main threat from the storm activity is accumulations of 50 mm of rain in an hour or less.
Heat warnings issued earlier in the week remained in place for parts of northern Alberta Friday.
